Indian Ink was a chestnut filly with a faint white star bred in Ireland by the County Meath-based Killeen Castle Stud.
Her sire, Indian Ridge, and was a sprinter who won the King's Stand Stakes at Royal Ascot in 1989 and later became one of the few successful stallions of modern times to emerge from the Byerley Turk sire-line.
She led from the start but was caught in the closing strides and beaten half a length by the Barry Hills-trained Silk Blossom, with Scarlet Runner unplaced.
[8] A week after her win at Ascot, Indian Ink was moved up to Group One level for the first time when she was one of eleven fillies to contest the Cheveley Park Stakes at Newmarket Racecourse.
Indian Ink was settled behind the leaders before making progress in the final quarter mile, catching the outsider Dhanyata in the closing stages and winning "tenaciously"[4] by a neck.
[9] Indian Ink began her three-year-old season at Newbury where she contested the seven furlong Fred Darling Stakes, a trial race for the 1000 Guineas.
At Royal Ascot on 22 June Indian Ink was the 8/1 fourth choice in the betting for the Group One Coronation Stakes over one mile: she had been offered at 25/1 on the morning of the race, but attracted strong support as heavy showers of rain led to a softening of the ground.
Indian Ink took the lead a furlong from the finish and accelerated clear of her opponents to win by six lengths from Mi Emma who beat Darjina by a head for second place.
At the end of the year Indian Ink was sent to the Tattersalls December Mares Sale and was sold for 2,000,000 guineas to Hamdan Al Maktoum's Shadwell Estate.